Peridot's Redemption
by WitherWithMe
Summary: After she crashes back down to Earth in her escape pod, Peridot has nowhere to go but to her enemies. Peridot, Pearl, Pearlidot, Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Connie, Spearmint, Steven Universe. Frequent updates.
1. 1

Peridot blinks her eyes open with a groan, vision blurry. Green smoke from the wreckage of the escape pod swirls around her, making her cough weakly. Where was she? She blinks a few times in an attempt to clear her blurry vision, squinting up at the sky as she tries to get her thoughts together. Why did she feel so weak? Why wasn't she in the ship? She slowly trails her eyes down to her legs, seeing them trapped under a chunk of the broken escape pod, which must have shattered into pieces on impact with the Earth. Impact with the Earth…

Peridot starts as the memories rush back to her, eyes wide. She _was_ on the ship, along with the crystal gems as her prisoners. But then the Steven had escaped, and so did the purple one, the fusion, and…

Peridot cries out as the adrenaline from waking up wears off and the pain from her legs being trapped reaches her. She feebly pushes herself up into a sitting position and reaches forward, trying to push the chunk off her, but fails as her strength ebbs. Peridot falls onto her back again, growling in frustration. Why did this stuff always happen to her? Why not someone else?! The heat from the green flames surrounding the technician starts to get to her, and she forces herself into a sitting position again, pointing her arm at the imprisoning chunk. There's a click as her fingers separate, leaving one in the center. She didn't have too much experience using her arm cannon, but she didn't have any other choice.

"I am _not_ letting those Crystal CLODS find me!" Peridot yells to herself, charging a ball of green energy. She screws her eyes shut, puffing out her cheeks in effort. After a few moments, the energy fires itself at the chunk, sending Peridot onto her back for the third time from the force of the recoil. She sits up expectantly, hope written on her face, and nearly cheers out when she sees the chunk has been shattered into smaller bits, freeing her legs. But why hadn't she felt it? Peridot gingerly reaches forward and glides a hand up her leg, jaw dropping in horror as she doesn't feel it. "How long was that on my legs?" She squeaks, trying to kick a leg up and finding herself unable to move it. The homeworld gem covers her face with her arms, panic rising in her chest. "This is bad. Those clods are bound to find me here… I have to move."

After forming a plan and working up the courage, Peridot falls forward onto her stomach and reaches in front of herself with an arm, dragging herself out of the wreckage. She grits her teeth through the pain, taking breaks in between the movement. After long hours of pained crawling, Peridot finally distances herself from the wreckage enough to avoid the smoke. The young gem tilts her head to the sky, the warm, orange colors of sunrise painting her face. The orange tints the corn field she was in, the pink reflects off the grass, and the beginnings of blue spread across the clear visor she constantly wears over her eyes. It was truly a beautiful sight.

"I hate this planet." Peridot grumbles bitterly, touching her legs with a hand once again. She takes a quick survey of her surroundings and, once she sees no one else is around, raises her arm into the air, fingers stretching to form blades of a fan. They spin rapidly and the homeworld gem clumsily rises off the ground, unable to stabilize herself by tucking her legs into her chest. Peridot grits her teeth, eyes on the sky. It was going to be a rough ride, but she was prepared to do whatever she needed to. This was about survival, not comfort.

Once she's sure she's a good distance from the wreckage, Peridot lands clumsily on the ground, getting dirt stains on her metal parts as she bumps her elbows and knees. The homeworld gem raises her head groggily and forces herself into a sitting position to survey the area, finding herself to be at the top of a grassy hill. In the distance there's a city practically radiating with smog and loud noises, complete with dark, towering buildings. She hesitates, unsure of what to do. She wants to go down into the city- it's the ideal location to hide from those crystal clods, and no one would have time to stare at her if she stood out in appearance. She can tell it's one of the large human grouped areas where they all would rush along in their lives, acting like the things they were doing were much more important than they actually were. All human life is pointless, but since they have no other life to compare it to, it's important to them. That's the conclusion Peridot had come to when she was doing minor research on Earth back at Homeworld.

The only problem with going down into the city is that Peridot can't. Flat out can't- not with the shape her legs are in. She growls in frustration, balling her fists in her hair. It seems she has no other choice but to retreat into her gem for some quick repairs. The green gem digs a small, protective hole in the dirt; if she was going to retreat into gem form in the middle of nowhere, she would at least have some kind of walls to surround her. With one more agitated sigh, Peridot closes her eyes and poofs into her gem, which falls to the ground right beside the hole. She just couldn't do anything right on this planet.


	2. 2

**_Author's Note: I'm really glad you guys liked the first chapter so much! Here's the next_**

Usually when she wakes from regenerating in her gem, she feels refreshed and powerful. This time, she feels nothing close to that. Her head aches, her eyes burn, and she can't see straight. Peridot stands, staggering as she finds her balance. The gravity on this stupid planet was throwing her off. That had to be it- it was the gravity. Nothing else. Nothing wrong with her. It was night now; whether it was that next night or cycles later, Peridot has no idea. She bends and flexes each leg, testing them out. They're a little shaky and faintly ache, but they were going to work.

Peridot cautiously makes her way down the hill, careful not to do something stupid like trip on one of the non-gem rocks scattered around in random places. The homeworld gem shakes her head sadly. There were so many failed gems on this planet. Some at the bottom of the ocean, some under the ground, some piled high into piercing mountains, and some randomly scattered on grassy hills. Even stranger, it seemed like the humans celebrated these failures. Collecting and painting some, climbing others, exploring the insides of more. It makes no sense to her, but then again, nothing on this planet does.

As she enters the outskirts of the city, Peridot suddenly feels very small. She wasn't looking down on this city anymore, but she was looking up, craning her neck just to come close to having a full view of some of the buildings. She's also painfully aware of the constant loud noises- overly sensitive to them. Peridot finds herself on a sidewalk beside a busy road lined with cars, filled with angry humans, yelling and honking their horns. She screws her eyes shut and covers her ears, sinking to her knees. What was wrong with her? Everything was moving around in a blur; she couldn't focus on anything. She knows she's always been sensitive to loud noises, but never like this. It had never- literally- brought her to her knees before. A few moments pass with Peridot waiting on her knees for the noises to stop, but they never do. She takes a few deep breaths and moves to her feet, continuing to cover her ears.

The homeworld gem runs along the sidewalk, refusing to take her hands from her ears. She knows it's not practical, and that she would probably need to remove them eventually, but she doesn't care. All she cares about is getting away from the noise.

She doesn't know how much time has passed, but she finds herself in front of a gap between two of the large buildings. It's somewhat narrow compared to the rest of the city, but that was good. Peridot needed this to feel more comfortable and isolated from the rest of the city. She looks it over quickly to make sure there are no threats and then continues to walk inside, slowly lowering her hands from her ears. She can still hear the sounds of the yelling humans and screaming cars in the distance, but it wasn't as intense as before. This is good. She can handle this.

So much time. She has been sitting in the alley for so much time. Peridot continues to sit with her back against one of the buildings, staring blankly at the wall of the other. It's dark, dirty, and smelly in the alley. Peridot doesn't care. She doesn't care about anything anymore. In between spacing out for hours, the homeworld gem was thinking over a way to get back to homeworld. There was none. Nothing she could do would bring her back to her home planet. Even if she could find a way to build a spaceship that could travel fast enough, even if she could build a spaceship that could withstand going into space for so long, she was useless to Yellow Diamond now. She had failed her mission. Crashed her ship. Lost her escort and her prisoners. If she presented herself to her leader now, she would be shattered on the spot. Killed. Dead.

A loud boom echoes from the sky, making Peridot jump. She searches the sky wildly, heart beating fast from fear. What in the name of Diamond was that? She's about to start covering her ears again when a drop of earth liquid- water, she remembered, hits the top of her shoulder. It slowly rolls downward, slipping into the crevice between her organic body and metal arm. At once, a fierce shock hits her where the water drop had gone, making her squeak from pain. Peridot brings her hand to the shocked part of her arm, metal fingers brushing against it gently. Her wiring and water didn't mix. This was good to know.

More droplets of water fall from the sky, causing panic to rise in her chest. If one single droplet had caused her that much pain, what would all of these do to her? Peridot stands and looks around for shelter or an escape, failing to find one in the dark alley. The water hits her shoulders and she desperately tries to shake it off, only causing it to drip down her arms faster. Fierce electric shocks rip through her and she falls to the ground in agony, screaming in pain. The rain comes down harder, water seeping into her arms and legs, electric pain the only thing Peridot can feel. She writhes on the floor of the alley, screaming, becoming less and less aware of her surroundings, the pain never ending. She clutches at her arms, hoping to find some way to dull the pain. Her wires were sure to short circuit, but before that would happen, she would most likely be electrocuted. She was going to die here, on Earth.

Peridot forces her eyes open, suffering in silence now, unable to make any sound. Her mouth open in a silent scream, she shakily forces her arm into the air, fingers clumsily separating into cannon form. With the last of her strength, the homeworld gem manages to fire a distress flare into the air, alerting anyone paying attention of her being in danger. The last of her strength gone, she slips away, losing consciousness. The darkness that surrounds her is welcome, but the pain still remains in the background.


	3. 3

Peridot faintly remembers becoming conscious for a brief moment. She had opened her eyes, vision too blurry to make out anything specific, but had seen a small human girl with dark skin and glasses bending over her. That was all.

Peridot wakes slowly with a groan, blinking her eyes open. She was laying on what seemed to be a human couch. Peridot notices at once that the control panel on her arm is open, and as she snaps her gaze to it, she sees Pearl crouched on the side of the couch, watching her with a shocked expression and a screwdriver in hand.

"What?! Unhand me!" The homeworld gem shouts, sitting up and raising her other arm, allowing it to click instinctively into cannon mode, inches from Pearl's face. Pearl's shocked expression at once becomes one of determination as she grips Peridot's cannon arm and pushes it away from her face, jamming her screwdriver back into the green gem's control panel. Peridot yells out in pain, falling onto her back again.

"Garnet! She's awake!" Pearl calls over her shoulder, turning her fierce gaze back to Peridot. The homeworld gem sneers at Pearl, drawing her lip back in anger.

"What is the meaning of this?! Why are you messing with my control panel?" She growls, starting to sit up again. Pearl leans forward and pushes her back down, Peridot finding herself weak. At that moment, a door on the other side of a transportation pad opens and the fusion from before walks out, face stony with anger. Pearl leans away from Peridot as Garnet makes her way to the front of the couch, pulling Peridot up into a sitting position by the front of her uniform.

"What have you told homeworld?" She demands, eyes hidden by her dark shades. Behind Peridot's clear visor, all of her fear and confusion could easily be seen.

"Why should I tell you, _clod_?" Peridot sneers, defensively becoming more disrespectful. Without showing any change in emotion, Garnet backhands Peridot, knocking her visor from her face to the ground.

"What have you told homeworld?" The fusion demands again, her voice becoming slightly more angered. Peridot breathes in sharply, touching the spot she was hit with a scowl.

"Everything! I've told them everything about you Crystal Gems, the Steven Rose Quartz, and even the location of your base! They're sending an invasion ship right now to take this planet back and defeat you!" Peridot smirks, tilting her head up victoriously. Garnet looks like she's about to hit Peridot again when Pearl gently reaches forward to put a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"She's bluffing. When I was fixing her, I noticed her communications were down. Besides…" Pearl's eyes dance with slight amusement. "How would she have reported the location of our base when this is the first time she's actually been awake in it?" Both Garnet and Peridot freeze at Pearl's words.

"….Hm." Garnet finally responds as she releases Peridot's uniform from her hand. The homeworld gem slumps down in the couch slightly in relief. She slowly moves to close the control panel at her arm only to have Pearl scornfully slap her hand away.

"How dare you?!" Peridot snaps, blushing slightly at having to keep her panel exposed like this. Didn't these clods know how intimate it was?

"I'm not done fixing you yet." The white gem sternly responds, situating the screwdriver in her hand again. Maybe the Crystal Gems had no idea of how intimate it was. Looking them over, it was obvious that they were… Simply archaic. Garnet places her hand between Pearl and the control panel to stop her from continuing her work.

"It'll have to wait. Now that she's awake, we can't have her out in the open here. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Peridot echoes, voice criticizing. Obviously if she needed fixing, she wasn't a threat at all. And if they thought she was a threat, why were they _fixing_ her?

"I suppose you're right." Pearl sighs, completely ignoring Peridot's interjection. She stands, stretching her arms over her head. "We could take her to the holding room for now."

Peridot moves her gaze between the two gems standing before her, worrying her lip. She didn't like the sound of the holding room at all, and if she had a say, she would stay on the couch. Garnet nods in agreement and turns her attention back to Peridot, placing a hand on her hip.

"Get up, Peridot."

Peridot closes her eyes with a frown. "No," she responds childishly, crossing her arms. "I don't want to." Pearl and Garnet exchange a look and Garnet leans down, about to pick her up, when the door to the house opens. Steven and Amethyst stand in it with small bags of fry bits in their hands. At once Steven runs over to the couch, starry-eyed and grinning.

"Woooaaahhhh! You're awake!" He cheers, leaning too close to Peridot for her comfort. She grits her teeth and frowns, leaning away. Steven raises his bag in front of her face, eyes hopeful. "I bet you're hungry after being asleep for so long! Do you want some fry bits? Amethyst and I-" He gestures to Amethyst, who had moved to stand beside him, frowning suspiciously. "We always eat fry bits at this time of the day!" Before Peridot can even begin to respond, Garnet gently places her hand on Steven's shoulder, contrasting the manner she had recently handled the homeworld gem.

"That's enough, Steven. Now that she's awake, we need to move her to keep you out of danger." When it looks as though Steven's about to object, Garnet continues. "I'm sure you understand. After all," she offers him an encouraging smile. "You're a Crystal Gem too." Steven looks at the ground sadly, knowing there was no way he could argue now.

"Dawwww, chin up, Stevo." Amethyst steps in, playfully nudging Steven's shoulder. "Hey, how about we go to the Big Donut? I hear they got a new kind of hot dog-nut!"

Steven's face lights up and he smiles at Amethyst. "With double the dog?" He asks hopefully, clasping his hands together.

"What else?" Amethyst responds, rolling her eyes with a grin.

"AWESOOOME!"

As Amethyst herds Steven out of the house, he casts one final glance back at Peridot, his eyes too knowing for her liking. What was with this Quartz-spawn? Amethyst notices Steven's look and turns her head to glare at Peridot suspiciously, continuing out the door. Peridot blinks as she watches the door to the house shut and considers reaching down to pick her visor back up, but freezes when she feels Pearl's touch on the cover of her control panel. She swallows dryly and snaps her gaze in time to see the white gem shut it, clicking it into place. This confirms it then- she definitely had no idea, the way she was so casual about it.

" _Now_ will you get up?" Pearl asks, annoyance in her tone.


	4. 4

Pearl sighs, feeling conflicted. When Connie told the Crystal Gems about a possible gem in danger, she had prepared for the worst. When the young human led them to Peridot, laying unconscious in an alley close to the girl's house in the rain, Pearl didn't know how to react. She ended up deciding to take the gem back to base and to try to tap into her memory records while she was unconscious in hopes of obtaining homeworld information. But- - as she set into work, the white gem had a change of heart and decided to try to fix their new prisoner altogether.

Just earlier that day, she had been so sure Peridot could easily be turned around. She was so peaceful while she was fixing her wiring, only stirring in her unconscious state to make small noises as Pearl reconnected some wires to her artificial nervous system. The white gem had never seen Peridot's face so relaxed, and seeing all the muscles of it not being tense made it clear just how young the homeworld gem was. Her wires, however, had taken major water damage from the storm the she was out in- - Pearl was surprised she didn't know better than to be out in the rain. Then again, Peridot _was_ new to Earth and its properties, and Pearl had years of more experience with it than her.

When Peridot woke up, the peaceful, innocent gem Pearl was fixing vanished. She became just as rude and cocky as always, breaking the spell her sleeping self had put on the older gem. If only she had never reconnected those last two wires. It was a mistake; she hadn't meant to wake her up yet. Not until she could've altered her mind. Pearl's thoughts are interrupted when she hears Steven stir in the loft above her, getting up for the morning. Had she really been sitting there all night?

"Good morning, Pearl." Steven chimes, cheerfully walking down the loft stairs with a friendly wave. Pearl straightens her back, putting on her best smile.

"Good morning, Steven. Did you sleep well?" Pearl didn't always have to ask that question- - there was a time when she could carefully watch over Rose's son while he slept, making sure no harm came to him. At his own request, those days were over.

"Actually… No. I wanna know what you guys're gonna do with Peridot. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I even dreamed about it!"

Pearl sighs, moving her gaze to the floor.

"Steven… We don't even know what we're going to do." She raises her gaze to look back at him, smiling sadly. "Not yet, anyway. Garnet's still sorting out her future vision- she says there're too many possibilities to decide. For now, Peridot will stay in the holding room."

Steven hesitates, watching his hands as he fiddles with his thumbs. "Do you think… Do you think I could I see her?" Pearl's eyes widen and she almost chokes on nothing, unable to hide her shock.

"See her?! Why?"

"Well I- I just thought she might be lonely all on her own in there! I thought maybe I could… Keep her company for a little?" Steven grins uncertainly, eyes starry with hope. Pearl takes a deep breath, standing to place herself a little further in front of Steven.

"Steven…" Steven's hope fizzles out. Whenever Pearl starts a sentence with his name, it's never good news. "I know you try to find the good in everyone. You're just like your mother that way. But Peridot has _no_ good. It's- …It's just not possible! Are you forgetting all the things she said?! Or the things she _did_?!" Pearl's voice was starting to crescendo, panic finding its way into her tone. "She can't be good! There's no way! It's just not logical! _WHY DO I THINK SHE'S GOOD?"_

Pearl's voice echoes in the room, somehow too strong to be absorbed by the wooden floor and walls. Steven stares at his mother figure with a shocked open mouth, finding no words to say. After a long, silent pause, Pearl brings a fist to her mouth and clears her throat. "Excuse me." She says weakly, feeling Steven's wide-eyed gaze follow her back as she walks through the temple door, letting it close behind her.

These feelings she had about Peridot were not new, but were only enforced as she was sorting through her control panels. The first one she had started with was the one on her back, which contained all the wires dealing with memory and emotion. While Peridot was an organic gem, she had been altered by someone- - Yellow Diamond, Pearl assumed- - in certain ways. Robotic, multi-purpose arms and legs were part of her anatomy (which were obviously not always there), and her brain was connected to various wires which started at her gem, easily keeping some kind of log on the emotions Peridot felt and the thoughts she had. While Peridot's back was organic flesh and skin, the panel was metal and stood out slightly under her uniform, raised off the skin. Unable to help herself, Pearl had gone through these logs while she was in her back panel. The emotion Peridot felt the most, recorded for over 60% of her life, was fear. Fear of Yellow Diamond, fear of Jasper, fear of death, fear of failing her mission. The green gem had also never felt happiness. No happiness was recorded. It was the fear that drove her to act badly. It had to be.

Even when the Crystal Gems would fight Peridot, Pearl had a feeling… More than a feeling, Pearl _knew_ Peridot was good. She _knew._ But after all the horrible things the homeworld gem had done, how could that be true?

Pearl walks through the temple heading to no place in particular, a war between feeling and logic exploding in her head. She's bad. She's bad, but she _has to_ be good. When she becomes aware of her surroundings again, the white gem finds herself in front of the door to the holding room. She stares at it for a long time, her mind grinding to a hault. There's no thought as she activates her gem, opening the door and stepping inside.

"Peridot."


	5. 5

Peridot had been sitting on the holding cell floor for what seemed to her like an eternity. She was becoming unstable, the shackles at her wrists starting to scrape her metal. Sitting with her back against one of the green walls, barely able to move her arms when they left her lap, Peridot's only solace was that her legs were unchained. When they became cramped, the homeworld gem was able to move them to a new position.

Days passed. It had to be days. Peridot looks around the holding room wildly, wanting desperately to retreat into her gem to stop the pain at her wrists. That would be a bad idea though- - if she went into her gem, those Crystal Clods could easily bubble her away forever. Peridot was not about to become their prisoner like the traitor Lazuli had. Just as the green gem drops her head down in defeat, she hears the door to the room activate and open. Without raising her head, Peridot hears whoever opened the door take a few delicate steps toward her.

"Peridot."

Peridot furrows her brow at the ground. It was the Pearl.

"If you're here to laugh at me, could you come back another time? I'm _very_ busy." Peridot sneers sarcastically, not moving her gaze from the ground. While Pearl couldn't see the homeworld gem's face, her rude tone was enough for her to tell she was having a hard time.

"Oh, please." Pearl rolls her eyes, stepping closer to the other. She crouches down in front of her so they sit inches apart. The white gem notices the technician tense, and she sighs sadly.

"What are you afraid of, Peridot?" Pearl asks, ducking her head in an attempt to see the gem's face. Peridot turns her head more to the side, staying hidden.

"Oh, I don't know, the gems that captured me and are holding me prisoner!?" Peridot snaps, failing to stop her voice from cracking at the end. She takes a deep breath and holds it, hoping her captor didn't hear her voice falter.

Pearl feels as if her heart breaks into pieces as she hears Peridot's voice crack, sounding as if she were on the verge of tears. She reaches forward and gently caresses the side of Peridot's face, carefully turning her head to look at her. Peridot's eyes shine with unshed tears, her lips contorted into a frown. She sniffs sharply and her eyes look away, the glistening coat of tears remaining.

"Oh…. Peridot," Pearl begins gently, voice sad. "We would never hurt you." The homeworld gem moves her teary gaze to look back at the white gem, who hesitates. "… _I_ would never hurt you. Garnet might, and Amethyst only would if she were provoked." Peridot sniffs and moves a shackled arm to her face, one of her floating fingers wiping at her eyes.

"Thanks. That makes me feel _so_ much better." She mutters sarcastically. It was bad enough she was seen in the middle of being weak by her enemy, but now she was taking sympathy on her. "Why are you here anyway?"

Pearl thinks quickly, laughing nervously. "O- oh! Ahahaha, I came to bring you this!" She says hurriedly, reaching in front of her gem. It flashes once, making Peridot screw her eyes shut from the light. When she opens them again, she sees Pearl holding her visor with a grin. Her heart soars.

"My visor!" Peridot exclaims. Her eyes light up, but to Pearl's dismay, she doesn't smile.

Pearl smiles sweetly and leans forward, gently pushing the visor onto Peridot's face. The homeworld gem flinches at first, but relaxes as she realizes she's in no danger. When Pearl pulls away, she thinks she can see a small smile on the green gem's lips, but it's gone so quickly she wonders if she had imagined it.

Peridot relaxes more with her visor on, most of the tension in her shoulders leaving her. With her gem armored and a protective wall between her and the rest of the world, she felt much safer. She realizes with a start that the Pearl was watching her expectantly.

"Um… I'm not going to cry." She points out, narrowing her eyes at the other. "But I, um, I… Appreciate the services you've provided me with."

Pearl stares at her blankly and blinks once. "Services?"

"Yeah. Pearls were still service gems when you were on homeworld, right? It's in your build to serve higher class gems like me. But… I guess you are pretty defective." Peridot explains, twirling one of her floating fingers as she speaks.

It's clear the gem meant no harm by her words, as bluntness is a large part of her personality. Pearl, however, was going to have none of it. She stands, a shadow cast over her eyes, shielding them from Peridot's view.

"I am _not._ A defect."

She turns and heads towards the door to the holding room without any other words. Her footsteps clicking on the ground is the only thing audible in the deafening silence surrounding Peridot. She starts to panic- - she didn't want the Pearl not to like her. She had mostly fixed her wires. She had brought back her visor. She had beautiful eyes.

"Wait! I'm sorry." Peridot cries out, straining against her shackles and chains. Pearl stops where she stands, and the homeworld gem can tell by the way she holds her shoulders she's shocked by the apology. "Please don't go…" Peridot begs weakly, watching the white gem's back.

Pearl couldn't believe what she had heard. An apology from Peridot. An apology from the gem that had captured all of them with intentions of turning them over to their certain deaths in homeworld. A gem who had showed no mercy, or remorse, or compassion. She turns to look at the green gem, and her regretful face told her she meant what she said. Pearl gradually smiles, tilting her head.

"Of course I'll stay." She says, her voice the melody of a song.


	6. 6

Peridot sits in the holding room, rhythmically banging the back of her head against the wall. Where was Pearl? She's been visiting her every day, but it seems she's late this time. The door to the room activates at that moment and Peridot sits up straighter, watching it hopefully. Pearl walks in holding a screwdriver, and at the sight of it the green gem at once begins to feel uneasy.

"Good morning, Peridot." She sing songs, twirling the screwdriver in her hand. Peridot takes a gulp of air, eyes fixed on the tool.

"What's so good about it?" The homeworld gem asks genuinely, crossing her legs to a more comfortable position. Pearl makes surprised eye contact with the other gem before laughing.

"It's an expression, Peridot." She says between laughs, crouching down in front of her. Peridot shrinks against the wall, nervously biting her lip.

"So… What did you bring that for?" The green gem asks, her voice a little unsteady. Pearl follows her gaze to the screwdriver in her hand and smiles understandingly.

"I thought you would like it if I finished fixing your wires. I've noticed you have trouble moving some of your fingers, and your legs are still pretty shakey-"

"No, don't. I'm fine." Peridot interrupts, looking away. Pearl blinks and furrows her brow in confusion. Didn't she want to be fixed?

"It's really no trouble; I don't mind. In fact, I enjoy doing these types of things." The white gem insists, leaning forward in an attempt to catch the technician's eye. Peridot groans and covers her face with shackled arms.

"You really don't have any idea, do you?"

Pearl frowns, looking even more confused. She's about to go on to ask what the green gem meant, but stops as Peridot drops her arms with an exasperated sigh.

"Alright, fine. Just… Make it quick. Please."

Pearl searches her eyes and nods with a small smile, setting the screwdriver on the ground. She reaches forward and gently brushes her hand along Peridot's metal arm, passing the control panel cover and stopping at the shackle.

"I'm going to have to take the shackle off while I work so it doesn't get in the way." The white gem explains, her gem flashing as she pulls a small grey key from it with her other hand. She unlocks the shackle, letting it fall to the floor with a rattle of chains. Peridot watches her with wide eyes- - everything the white gem did was so graceful, even something as simple as unlocking an iron restraint. Pearl notices her stare and narrows her eyes.

"I'm trusting you, Peridot. I know your other arm's still shackled, but I'm trusting you not to try to shoot me with this one." She taps the technician's freed arm with a finger, eyes serious. The homeworld gem nods, completely transfixed.

Pearl glides her hand over Peridot's arm again, stopping at the control panel cover. She looks up at the green gem.

"Um, could you please open it? I had to be pretty violent to get it open last time, and I don't want to hurt you."

Peridot's face flushes and she nods shakily. Her gem glows briefly as she allows the cover to unlock and swing open. She looks away.

"I don't know how you expect to be able to fix my wiring with that metal human stick. It doesn't make any sense." The homeworld gem protests, refusing to look forward. Pearl looks up from examining the panel and holds herself back from laughing at Peridot's flushed face.

"Oh, don't you worry. I've made some simple modifications on this tool to fit my every need." She demonstrates by pressing a small button on the side of it, which causes the screwdriver head to retract and be switched out by a pair of wire cutters. She presses it again and the wire cutters are switched out by a small blow torch. Peridot moves her gaze to watch the tool, mouth open.

"I'm impressed." She breathes, a dark green blush painting her cheeks. She quickly looks away again as Pearl snaps the tool back to the screwdriver head and turns her attention to her control panel. Her blush darkens as she feels Pearl carefully brush the screwdriver head over some of her already connected wires, causing a shiver to pass through her. She lets her head drop back against the wall, gritting her teeth. Why couldn't she just be unconscious for this? She feels Pearl freeze and sees her look up at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Are you okay?" She asks with a worried voice. Peridot swallows dryly, trying to compose herself.

"Don't worry about it." She manages to choke out, refusing to look at the other. The white gem shrugs and continues going through her control panel, completely oblivious. Peridot feels a spark rip through her as Pearl reconnects one of the wires controlling her fingers, and she's unable to stop herself from crying out. Pearl tenses and leans forward, gently placing one hand behind Peridot's neck and the other over her mouth, shushing her.

"Shhh, sh sh sh. Peridot. The others will hear you. …And I'm not exactly supposed to be in here with you, let alone fixing you." The white gem explains with a desperate tone, wide eyes searching Peridot's. The homeworld gem manages a small nod and Pearl removes her hands, going back to the control panel. Peridot bites her lip to stifle her yelling as the white gem continues to reconnect the rest of the wires. It seems like years before Pearl finally sits back with a proud smile, placing her hands on her hips.

"There. Now try moving them."

Peridot sits more forward and raises her arm in front of her face. She tests her floating fingers, bending and stretching each one. Her eyes light up as she realizes she has full control of them without any pain.

"In the name of Diamond! Pearl!" The homeworld gem turns her gaze to the crystal gem and grins. "You've done it! Thank you!"

Pearl can't believe her eyes. Peridot was smiling at her and thanking her. _Peridot!_ This was the first time Pearl had ever seen her smile genuinely without any sarcasm or malice. It was brilliant- - she looked so sweet, almost even innocent. The white gem can't help the blue blush that dusts her cheeks.

"Oh… You're welcome." Pearl responds, her eyes dreamy.

"Could I try separating them into cannon mode?" The homeworld gem asks with a hopeful look. There's a pause before she adds "I won't shoot you, I promise," with a playful glint in her eyes. Pearl considers the question before nodding.

"I suppose so… Just be careful. I'm not sure how correctly I reconnected you."

Peridot stretches her arm in front of her. There's a click as her fingers separate, leaving one in the center.

"It works!" She cheers, smiling at Pearl. Pearl tilts her head and is about to smile back when the door to the holding room activates. It opens to reveal Garnet and Amethyst, whose jaws drop and eyes widen at the sight of Peridot pointing her arm cannon at Pearl.

"Peridot!" Garnet yells with a voice full of rage. She summons one of her fists and charges at Peridot, pulling her arm back for a punch aimed directly at her gem. 


	7. 7

A loud _clink_ echoes throughout the room as Garnet's fist makes contact- - but not with what she had in mind. Pearl, who had jumped in front of Peridot at the last second, collapses limply onto the green gem's lap.

"Pearl!" Peridot squeaks, panic rapidly rising in her chest. The technician barely had any time to register Garnet's oncoming attack, let alone the only Crystal Gem who thought to be nice to her being fatally wounded. Garnet straightens up and freezes, jaw dropping in complete shock.

"Oh my god!" Amethyst yells, running from her place in the doorway to stand beside Garnet. She grabs her hair in two fists, face frozen with an expression of horror. Peridot brings up her knees to cradle Pearl and gently turns her onto her back with her free hand to get a view of the wound. Her entire body melts when she sees Garnet's punch landed on Pearl's cheek rather than her gem. Pearl blinks her eyes open with a groan, unfocused eyes searching Peridot's face.

"Oh, thank god." Amethyst breathes, letting her hands fall from her hair. Garnet says nothing, only continuing to stare at Pearl with an open mouth. Peridot's fear at once transitions to rage as she looks up at the fusion with eyes that could kill.

"You stupid _clod_!" She yells, instinctively pulling Pearl closer to her chest and placing a hand behind her neck. "What were you thinking?! You could have killed one of your own soldiers!"

The force of Garnet's punch is enough to break through a wall, which is much more solid than the white gem's face. Pearl stares up at Peridot with unfocused eyes, barely registering the fact that she was being cradled in her lap and handled like a delicate treasure. Through the loud ringing in her ears, she can barely make out the technician's muffled, angry yelling at Garnet.

"…Peridot…" She manages to murmer, her voice unsteady and weak. The muffled yelling stops at once and as her vision clears, Pearl sees the green gem staring down at her with a concerned expression.

".. …. …. …"

She had said something, but the white gem was unable to make it out. She blinks up at the homeworld gem, unsure what to do.

".. …. …. …" Peridot tries again, this time pointing a floating finger at the gem on Pearl's forehead. Oh, that's what. She wanted Pearl to go into her gem and regenerate. She turns her head to look at Garnet, who's frozen in place with her jaw dropped open. She figures Ruby and Sapphire were probably in the middle of an argument.

"…Not your fault…" Pearl manages to say before she poofs away into her gem. Peridot hastily reaches forward and catches it before it can drop to the ground, the one shackle cutting into her metal as she does so. She winces, but doesn't falter as she looks between Garnet and Amethyst, holding Pearl's gem close to her chest. When Garnet fails to move, Amethyst sighs and steps forward to stand in front of Peridot. She reaches a hand out, palm up.

"I'll take that."

Amethyst paces around the main part of the house and Garnet sits on the couch, staring at Pearl's gem on the coffee table. It's been two days since she poofed, and Garnet had been in her room almost the whole time. Because of the conflict, the fusion sent Steven to stay at Connie's. She gave no explanation.

"Why was she even in there with Peridot anyway?" Amethyst grumbles to no one in particular. Garnet shakes her head to clear her thoughts.

"I don't know. My future vision showed me Pearl getting hurt in the holding room, so I assumed it was Peridot who would hurt her. Then we walked in and she was pointing her arm cannon at her. I never… I never would have expected _me_ to be the one to hurt her…"

Amethyst stops pacing to look over at Garnet, shocked sympathy on her face.

"What? No, this isn't your fault! How were you supposed to know Pearl would jump in front of that idiot?" The purple gem asks, hoping to cheer Garnet up. The fusion shakes her head and brings a hand to her face.

"Future vision. If I'd paid closer attention to it, I would've known."

Amethyst sucks in a breath of air through clenched teeth. There had to be some way for her to cheer up her friend.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that!" She insists, taking a few steps towards the couch. "You didn't even put a crack in her gem! Pearl's gonna be fine, just wait. She's gonna regenerate and we'll all laugh about it!"

Garnet turns her head to look directly at Amethyst, her shades displaying a reflection of the kindergarten gem.

"You're wrong."

Amethyst grits her teeth and looks away. Didn't Garnet see she was only trying to cheer her up? Why did she have to be like this?

"Okay, so maybe _I'll_ be the one doing the laughing. But Pearl isn't gonna be mad at you. She said herself that it wasn't your fault."

Garnet growls in frustration, leaning forward on the couch.

"But it _is_ my fault. It _is._ _I_ was the one who hit her. _I_ was the one who made her retreat into her gem. _I'm_ the reason she's sitting on the coffee table right now-" She gestures angrily with her left hand to the coffee table. "-And not lecturing Steven about the importance of laundry!"

Amethyst stares at Garnet in complete awe. It was extremely rare that she had an outburst, let alone one about something she had done wrong. Garnet almost never did anything wrong. Before the purple gem can say something else, Pearl's gem begins to glow. Garnet stands from her place on the couch as it rises in the air, energy building around it. In a flash of white light, Pearl's physical body forms around it and she drops to the floor, landing in a graceful kneel, head down. She raises it to look between Amethyst and Garnet, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Pearl! You're back!" Amethyst cheers, running over to hug the white gem. Pearl returns it delicately, looking at Garnet over the Kindergarten gem's shoulder. As soon as she's released, the white Crystal Gem stands, wary gaze not leaving the fusion.

"Is everything alright?" She asks, eyebrows knitting together. Garnet takes a few steps forward to stand closer to her friend.

"Pearl… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you." She apologizes solemnly, looking at the ground and pushing her shades back into place. Pearl blinks, completely taken aback.

"You aren't mad?" She asks with a surprised tone, her gaze moving from one friend to the other. Now it was Garnet's turn to be taken aback.

"Mad? Why would I be mad? You're the one that was hurt."

Pearl sighs, crestfallen. "Oh… So you don't know then." She says sadly, lowering her gaze and gently bringing one of her hands to her elbow. Before Garnet or Amethyst can ask what she meant, the white gem looks up at them again, deciding it would be best to explain herself as soon as possible. "I've been visiting Peridot almost every day she's been here."

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I'm so sorry I put this chapter out so late! I usually try to update every day or every other day, but it's almost been a week since I last updated. Don't worry, there's no way I'm gonna let this story go unfinished (There isn't enough Pearlidot out there for that). There's a lot more to come, so hang tight! We aren't even into the shippy moments yet.**


	8. 8

"You've been _what_?" Amethyst asks, voice more angered than questioning. Garnet crosses her arms, her probing stare boring through her shades and into Pearl's head.

"Explain." She says simply, her voice as smooth as ice and every bit as cold.

Pearl hesitates before continuing. She misses the warm, welcoming attitude both of her friends had sported not more than a minute ago. Maybe she would be able to play it off like she was joking- …No. She needed to tell them. For Peridot's sake. She would start by explaining to Amethyst what Garnet already knew.

"While I was trying to get information of homeworld from Peridot's control panels," She starts, turning to face the purple gem, "I noticed she's almost always felt fear. She's been scared of things her entire life, constantly wary and careful… I thought maybe she was only doing bad things because she was so afraid of what would happen if she didn't." The white gem explains, bringing a hand to rest over her heart. "I thought maybe, if I showed her there was no reason to be afraid… She could be good."

Amethyst rolls her eyes, placing a hand on her hip. "And how's that workin' out for you?" She asks sarcastically. Pearl raises her gaze to the celling, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Splendidly, actually."

"Splendidly? _Splendidly?_ Pearl, she tried to blast you through the holding cell wall with her freaky arm cannon!" Amethyst yells, throwing her arms in the air for emphasis. Garnet steps forward, shaking her head.

"The only possible future I saw of her getting hurt was the one that happened, and I was the one to hurt her. Pearl was never in any danger." Amethyst looks over at Garnet in shock, finally starting to grasp the situation. Could it really be possible that Peridot, the gem that had captured them all and planned to take them to their certain deaths at homeworld, was redeemable?

"That's right!" Pearl confirms happily.

"Then why was she pointing her arm cannon at you?" Amethyst challenges, crossing her arms. Pearl looks to Garnet, who doesn't make any move to answer the kindergarten gem's question.

"I was actually wondering the same thing." She comments. The white member of the Crystal Gems cringes, unsure how the rest of the team would take the news. _Well, you got this far,_ she thinks to herself, straightening her back before she continues.

"I… I was fixing the rest of her mobile wiring and she wanted to test out her cannon." She explains, rubbing the back of her neck guiltily. "But she promised not to shoot me, so I thought-"

"She promised not to shoot you? Really? _That's_ what you were going by?!"

"Amethyst, you-"

"No. Stop. I _do_ understand. I understand you're putting way too much trust into that- … That…" The purple gem racks her brain for a good insult, suddenly finding her mind to be blank. Garnet puts a hand on her shoulder to steady her, gaze not leaving Pearl.

"Maybe we should give her a chance." The fusion commands more than suggests, tilting her head to have Amethyst in her view. "I see many more futures where this works out than those that don't. Let's give it a try."

Amethyst looks between Garnet and Pearl, practically steaming from anger. "So, what, we're just gonna set her loose in Beach City? We're gonna put all those people at risk?"

"No. She will stay here, in the house. She won't go into the temple, she won't go outside. At least, not until we know we can trust her." Garnet explains. Amethyst frowns. The fusion knew something she wasn't sharing with them.

"Really? Oh, Garnet, that's wonderful!" Pearl laughs, throwing her arms around the tallest gem. So she isn't the only one who thinks Peridot could be good. She isn't the only one with faith in the homeworld gem being able to turn around for the better. Garnet smiles, pushing her shades into place and ignoring a fuming Amethyst.

"So it's decided then. Let's go tell her the good news."

Peridot sits in the holding room, nervously clicking the heel of her boot against the ground. After Pearl had been hurt, the Crystal Gems didn't bother to shackle her other arm into place again. The purple gem had simply summoned a whip and tied her free arm to her shackled one, causing her torso to be twisted in an awkward manner. She winces as one of the crystals on the whip continues to cut against her metal arm, and considers letting it shift into cannon mode to snap the restraint altogether.

The homeworld gem has spent the past two days worrying about Pearl. It was her own fault the only member of the Crystal Gems who bothered to be nice to her was regenerating- - something Peridot herself has never needed to do. She hopes it doesn't hurt.

At the sound of the holding room door activating, Peridot takes in a sharp breath, moving her gaze to watch it warily. She tenses as she sees Garnet and Amethyst walk in first, but then relaxes as she sees Pearl enter last. She was okay!

"Amethyst." Pearl scolds the purple gem, gesturing towards the whip tying Peridot's arms together. "Was that really necessary?" The Kindergarten gem raises her gaze to meet Pearl's, eyes challenging.

"Yeah." She says, salt coating her voice. "It was." Garnet motions with a hand for the other two to be quiet as she continues forward, stopping in front of Peridot and looking down at her. From the under angle the green gem has, shadows coat the fusion's face, making her look all the more menacing.

"Peridot." She begins, voice powerful and definite. "For fifteen days, you've been our prisoner in this holding room." Fifteen days? Had it really been that long? Peridot glances at Pearl, silently thanking her for coming to keep her company as often as she did. She had made being shackled in one place for so long bearable. "Now," Garnet continues, leaning down and reaching a hand towards the green gem's arm. The technician flinches visibly, shutting her eyes. This was it. She was about to die, to have her gem shattered on the spot. She feels a release of pressure and she opens her eyes to see that the fusion had released her from the shackle and the whip. "You get to be our prisoner _outside_ of the holding room." Garnet says lightly, watching Peridot with an amused smile.

The homeworld gem blinks up at her, completely shocked.

"You… I… What?"

"There will be boundaries." Garnet continues, seemingly ignoring the green gem's confusion. "Once you leave, you will _not_ enter the temple again. You will _not_ go outside- - at least, not without an escort. And you will _not_ be left unattended. Do you understand?"

Peridot blinks before nodding silently, completely in awe. Were these clods actually starting to trust her? After their Pearl member had been hurt because of her? This wasn't making any sense.

"If you break any of these rules, you will be forced to retreat into your gem and be bubbled. Forever." Garnet finishes. She pauses for emphasis, letting a tense silence hang in the room. "Do you understand?"

"Y- Yes. I understand." Peridot answers quickly, tilting her chin up definitely.

Garnet nods once with a satisfied hum before turning her back on the green gem and walking away, gesturing for Amethyst to follow. "She's all yours, Pearl." The fusion calls over her shoulder, activating the holding room door and exiting with the fuming Kindergarten gem.

Pearl wordlessly walks to stand in front of Peridot, the clicking of her footsteps echoing in the room. She stops in front of the prisoner and reaches a hand out to help her up, smiling encouragingly. Peridot hesitates before taking it, green floating fingers twining into white organic ones. The contact sent sparks through her head and stars in her eyes.

 _ **Author's Note**_ _ **\- Character motives will be explained. Bear with me.**_


	9. 9

Pearl's eyes widen as her fingers twine with Peridot's. She had been expecting them to feel like cold metal- - the reality of what they are is far from that. They're warm, as if a constant flame burned inside them. They're also… Very much _alive_. They thrum periodically, the electricity inside mimicking a pulse. Pearl gently pulls Peridot to her feet, no words passing between them. As soon as the green gem puts weight on her legs, however, they give out. Peridot squeaks in alarm, but Pearl quickly reaches forward to catch her, steadying her with one hand behind her back and the other behind her head, almost as if she were dipping her.

"I… Suppose I was sitting for too long." Peridot explains hesitantly after a pause, a dark green blush dusting her cheeks. Pearl smiles sweetly and moves to straighten the homeworld gem again, her touch delicate.

"Fifteen days _is_ a long time to go without proper exercise." The white gem says, her tone almost motherly. This time when Pearl releases her, she's able to hold herself up. Taking a deep breath, the green gem looks around the holding room one final time. Pearl seems to notice her hesitation and tilts her head. "Are you ready to go?" She asks gently. Peridot looks to her and nods confidently- - she wasn't going to miss the harsh green glow the room put off.

Steven walks through the screen door to the house with a happy grin on his face. He isn't sure why Garnet originally had him stay at Connie's, but when the Crystal Gem showed up at her house, she told Steven they had a surprise for him once he got back home.

"Is it a pizza?" He asks over his shoulder, continuing the guessing game he had started with Garnet on the way back.

"No."

"A _giant_ pizza?"

"No."

Steven groans and continues towards the couch. When he sees Amethyst close the fridge door, his face lights up.

"Hey, Amethyst! Are you excited for the surprise too?"

Garnet lets the screen door close behind her. She shoots a warning glance at the purple gem through her shades, frowning. Amethyst frowns back and looks at Steven with a deeply annoyed expression.

"…Ecstatic." She says flatly. Steven grins, oblivious to Amethyst's sarcasm.

"Great!"

He sits on the couch with a thud and Garnet walks to be in front of him, kneeling to look at him at eye level. There's an extremely long pause as the fusion tries to think of the right way to word the situation. She needs to put it perfectly. She needs to stress the fact that, while Peridot may no longer be in the holding cell, she still is their _prisoner_. She needs to explain that she may still be dangerous. She needs to say that Peridot is not their friend.

"…..Peridot will be staying out here now."

Silence.

Silence, then star eyes.

"Reeeeaaaallly?" Steven breathes, looking as if he's about to explode. Garnet nods in confirmation.

"Really."

Steven tangles his hands in his hair on both sides, eyes wide.

"Oh- oh my god! I need to come up with things to talk about! Games to play! Do you think Peridot's ever payed Citchen Calamity? Do you think she likes eating?! I mean, Amethyst likes eating, and you like to eat sometimes, but Pearl hates eating, and Pearl's a lot like Peridot! And what if, since they're so much alike, they-"

Garnet cuts him off with a raised right hand, palm facing Steven. He stares at his reflection in Sapphire's gem, wondering she's the only reason Garnet's able to keep her cool.

"Peridot may be staying out here now, but she's still our prisoner. I'm not saying you can't try to be friends with her, but be _careful_ , Steven."

The young boy nods once, eyes suddenly serious. At that moment, the temple door activates and opens, revealing an upbeat Pearl and a nervous looking Peridot. Steven jumps off the couch at once and runs to Peridot, hugging one of her legs tightly.

"Welcome, Peridot!" He yells excitedly. The homeworld gem's jaw drops and eyes widen in complete shock and confusion.

"I- …What?! Get your touch stubs off me, you _Steven_!" She exclaims, shaking the leg Steven's latched himself to, struggling to keep her balance on the other. The young boy laughs, not letting go.

"Woah!" He says in between chuckles, voice vibrating from the rapid shaking. Garnet takes a tense step forward and Pearl brings a hand in front of her mouth, palm down, with a concerned expression. Amethyst scowls and holds her hand in front of her glowing gem, ready to pull her whip out at any moment. It's obvious the homeworld gem means no harm, but the sight of Steven being shaken on the enemy's leg is enough to kick the gems into semi-protection mode.

"Peridot, _please_ be more gentle with Steven." Pearl stresses. The green gem stops shaking him at once, instead holding her leg in the air with him still gripping to it. She looks to the white gem in complete shock.

"I thought I _was_ being gentle considering how he's _attacking_ me!" She exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. She loses her balance from the gesture and returns her foot to the ground to stop herself from falling over. There's the sound of Amethyst holding in laugher by the fridge, more making fun of Peridot than the situation. Pearl chuckles a little, her cheeks dusting light blue. Garnet relaxes in her spot, showing no other emotion.

"Peridot… He's not attacking you." Pearl explains with a light tone.

"He's hugging you." Garnet states from her place by the couch, pushing her shades into place.

"Yeah! 'Cause I like you!" Steven finishes, looking up at Peridot happily from his held position hugging her leg. The green gem looks down at him, completely bewildered.

"…Hugging… Me..?" She repeats slowly, sounding confused. Steven gasps and releases Peridot's leg, taking a couple steps back.

"Oh no! You guys! Peridot's never been hugged before!" He yells with sad eyes, shifting his gaze between the three gems for help. Amethyst rolls her eyes, moving to open the fridge again.

"Yeah, there's a reason for that." She mutters bitterly into the cold, searching for something to make into a quick sandwich. "Who would want to hug her?"

"Amethyst!" Pearl scolds, crossing her arms angrily.

"What? Everyone was thinking it!" The Kindergarten gem retorts, craning her neck to glare at Pearl from behind the fridge door.

"Enough!" Garnet cuts in, her voice powerful enough to stop the oncoming argument cold. Pearl's heart sinks as she feels Peridot flinch beside her and moves one of her hands to comfort her by rubbing her back, but stops herself before she can make contact. Peridot's still jumpy and nervous around all the Crystal Gems- - maybe now isn't the best time. "Peridot, feel free to make yourself comfortable on the couch. You're going to be here for a while." The fusion finishes, motioning with one hand towards the couch. Peridot scratches at the back of her head with one of her floating fingers, face wary.

"Uh… How long is a while?" She asks with genuine curiosity.

"Forever."


	10. 10

Something between a gasp and a wheeze escapes Peridot, causing Amethyst to laugh harshly in her place by the fridge. Pearl smiles sadly and moves to stand in front of the homeworld gem, calm eyes searching wild ones.

"Just do as you're told. Who knows- - maybe you'll like it here." She says softly so only the panicked gem can hear.

Like it here? Unlikely. Peridot was programmed for one sole purpose: to serve Yellow Diamond by completing any mission given to her. As prisoner of the Crystal Gems, it's becoming obvious the homeworld gem will never be able to do that again. For _forever_ , according to Garnet.

As much as Peridot would love to voice this problem to Pearl, she's lost just that. Her voice. Her panicked eyes gaze into Pearl's, searching for some kind of comfort or confirmation that this was a joke- - that she would be released after a brief interrogation of homeworld. The white gem grins hesitantly, smile crooked as she's unsure of what to say. She awkwardly shifts her gaze over her shoulder to look at garnet out of the corner of her eye in a silent plea for help, but the fusion only stands her ground and crosses her arms. Maintaining her forced grin, Pearl turns her eyes to Amenthyst, who does nothing but frown back. By the time she looks back to Peridot, the homeworld gem's expression is even more panicked than before.

"Well, have fun with that, Pearl." Amethyst chimes, strutting to the temple door while waving over her shoulder. Pearl begins to protest, but the door closes and the purple gem disappears into her room before the white gem can form anything intelligible. After a heavy pause, Garnet begins to walk to the temple door as well.

"I'm leaving too." She says awkwardly. As soon as the door opens, she turns to face Pearl and Peridot, who haven't moved from their place a few feet in front of the exit. "Pearl, don't let her out of your sight. She's your responsibility now." She steps into the temple and lets the door close behind her with an echoing bang, leaving a flustered Pearl, a panicked Peridot, and a seemingly oblivious Steven.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Finally Steven had left Peridot, explaining that he was "going to bed", whatever that meant. The past few hours had been terrible. As soon as the green gem sat on the couch, the strange boy had bombarded her with questions of homeworld, yellow diamond, whether she's had food or not, whether she _wanted_ to have food or not… It was tiring to say the least.

Pearl hasn't moved from her place sitting beside her on the couch. She seemed uninterested in Steven's questions, keeping her nose buried in a human book and only raising her head slightly to listen when the question involved homeworld. Much to her annoyance, Peridot refused to answer them seriously. When asked if they danced in homeworld, the green gem had replied with "Only if we have a death wish". How could that be true?

The white gem closes her book with a soft _thump_ and sets it beside her on the couch. The sound catches Peridot's attention, and as she snaps her gaze to find the source, Pearl sees rays of moonlight reflect across her visor. She finds herself wishing she had never given it back.

"Has homeworld changed much?" Pearl asks, becoming aware words are leaving her mouth only as she hears them. Peridot blinks, not sure how to respond to the sudden question.

"Changed..? Changed from what time?"

Pearl takes a deep breath in an attempt to settle her nervousness and excitement at finally getting information of her home planet.

"Since year 856422."

Peridot freezes, her eyes narrowing. She turns her head to look forward rather than at Pearl, floating fingers fiddling with each other.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. It's classified." She responds coldly. Pearl's jaw drops in disbelief and she leans forward on the couch in an attempt to catch the homeworld gem's eye.

"Excuse me?" She asks with an almost motherly tone, frustration building up inside her. Peridot only shrugs with a disinterested expression.

"Can't tell you. Classified."

The white gem can't believe it. After all she's done for Peridot; fixing her, keeping her company in the holding room, and convincing the gems to give her a chance, the technician won't even tell her about her home? She doesn't understand why the green gem is acting this way- - she thought they had made so much progress! The only other time she acted like this was when she felt threatened by the Crystal Gems.

"Oh." The white gems says aloud in realization, finally picking up on the situation. "Peridot, how old are you?" The green gem swallows nervously and lets her teeth graze her lip, refusing to move her gaze from directly in front of her.

"That's… Also classified."

"How old are you?" Pearl asks again, her tone more firm than before. Peridot lets out a defeated growl and covers her face with her hands.

"…1,755…"

The white gem gasps in shock, bringing a hand over her mouth.

"You've barely been out of the ground!" She exclaims, failing to keep a hushed voice for the sleeping Steven. To her relief, she doesn't hear him stir in the loft above them. She's always known Peridot was young, but had no idea she was _that_ young!

"You say that like you think I'm still in training or something." Peridot grumbles, turning her head to frown at Pearl before looking away again. "Most of the other Peridots are dead by now…" She mumbles under her breath, more to herself than to Pearl.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **_This is so late and so short oh my god. Anyway, in case you don't know, 1,755 is really freaking young for gems. In Sworn To The Sword, Pearl mentions "only" being about 2,000 years old when she began to learn how to wield a sword. So basically, Peridot's young and clueless with lots of gem related things._**


End file.
